


Sheltered Beginnings

by mettahuman



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-02 22:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4075729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mettahuman/pseuds/mettahuman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra and Asami meet when they both volunteer at a domestic violence shelter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of their four weeks of classroom training.

“So Korra, why do you want to volunteer at a domestic violence shelter?”

“Well, my best friend, Bolin, was dating my cousin Eska, and I didn’t realise it at the time, but my cousin was being abusive to him, both physically and mentally. She was smart about it, though, toed the line in public. Sure, she acted a little snarky towards him, but she’s like that with everyone, so none of us thought anything was wrong. He finally got the guts to break up with her. Via email. That kind of pushed her over the edge. After she read the email, she found out he was canoeing with me at the lake, drove out there with my uncle’s motorboat in tow, capsized out canoe, and then tried to run us over. Luckily, there were some conservation police out on the lake at the time, and they managed to stop her and pulled us out of the water. Both Bolin and I have restraining orders on her now.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s made family reunions a little awkward.”

“Anyway, sorry for rambling on, but the reason I want to volunteer is because the staff at the shelter helped Bolin so much with the counselling and legal advice. It made me want to do what I can to help, too. I heard that your funding got cut again, so you’re having to let some staff go, which means you need more volunteers, so here I am.”

“Thank you, Korra. I think you’d make an excellent volunteer. You can start working at the shelter once you’ve completed the training.”             

\-----

“What made you want to volunteer with us, Asami?”

 _My best friend and roommate Opal needs to rack up some volunteer hours as part of being in the honours programme, and she wants to help at the shelter. She needs a ride to and from the training sessions, and it’s just far enough away that I’d have to stay there and wait for her to get done. She told me that since I was going to be hanging out there anyway, I should make myself useful and go through the training so I can volunteer. That and she heard that you need one more person to sign on or this training session will be cancelled, so she begged me with tears in her eyes to do this. Also, she bribed me with chocolate._ “Well, I’m an engineering student, and I like what I do, but it can get a little impersonal. I want to do something where I’m working with people and making a difference in their lives.” _Alright Opal, I gave it a shot._

“We could definitely use your help in the shelter. Training starts next week, and once you’ve completed it, you can start volunteering.”

\-----

Korra listened attentively. It was the first training session, and they were being bombarded with lots of facts and statistics, but the presenters made sure to keep them relevant. The story one survivor told impacted her hard.

“I’d tried to leave him three times before, but each time he came to me crying, saying he was sorry, pleading with me to come back to him, and I just wasn’t strong enough. The last straw was when he held a knife to my throat and swore he would kill me, then the kids, then himself before he would let me break our family up. That night, when he was lying in bed drunk, I packed some things, got the kids, and wound up in this town at the shelter. I came here because it was the farthest I could get from him with the bus tickets I could afford. The shelter helped me get a job, find a place to stay, get the kids enrolled in school. I started volunteering, and when a part-time position opened up, I started working a second job there. My children are now grown, and I’ve retired, but I try to help out at the shelter when I can, and I’m here to tell you that working there can get tough, but you’ll be helping people, and I’m proof of that. So when you get frustrated at that woman who’s gone back to her abuser even after he’s put her in the hospital twice, you think about me and remember that maybe next time she’ll get the courage to leave for good.”

…

Asami was feeling out of place and out of her depth. The former she was used to. The latter, well that was new and more than a little disconcerting. _I’m an engineer for spirits’ sake, my skillset doesn’t exactly translate well to helping people trying to escape or rebuild from abusive relationships._

“Maintaining confidentiality is a big part of what we do at the shelter. If you work there, even as a volunteer, you’re breaking the law if you break our clients’ confidentiality. Anything the clients tell you can only be shared with the shelter staff and volunteers. Not with your friends, not with other clients, not even with law enforcement. Confidentiality does NOT apply in certain cases: if the person is threatening to harm themselves or others, or if you have reason to suspect child or elder abuse.

“Confidentiality extends to not acknowledging a client if you see them outside the shelter. If they speak to you, let them steer the conversation, and refrain from bringing up anything about the shelter. They could be with someone that they don’t want to reveal their situation to, or there could be people around who could overhear you talking.”

…

Finally, the session drew to a close. Asami made her way over to Opal, who was talking to a brown-haired, dark-skinned woman.

“Hey, Asami, this is Korra, we have a class together. Korra, meet Asami, my roommate.”

Korra eyed Asami dubiously, taking in her stylish outfit. _Little overdressed for this, isn’t she? The shoes alone probably cost more than my rent._

Asami smiled as she held her hand out to Korra. _Someone looks judgy, let’s go with the “show your business associates you’re not a weak little girl” handshake._ “Good to meet you.”

 _Woah, good grip for someone who looks so prissy_. “Likewise.”

“Asami and I were going to stop by Narook’s for a bite before heading home. Do you want to join us, Korra?”

“Narook’s? I’m there! I love their food, reminds me of home.”

They met up in the carpark at Narook’s. Asami and Opal got there first, Korra drove up a few minutes later, sliding her beat-up blue van into the spot next to Asami’s sporty red two-seater convertible.

Korra got out, grinning widely. “That’s one snazzy ride! You handle her well, too, you barely slowed down for those turns. I’m surprised you didn’t get pulled over. We passed at least two police cars on the way here.”

“Asami’s got radar _and_ laser jammers on board,” said Opal, climbing out a little shakily.

“It’s got an adaptive suspension system that reduces body roll when you’re cornering,” said Asami.

“Yeah, well it doesn’t reduce the fear your driving inspires in your passengers. Let’s continue this inside, I hope my stomach settles before the food arrives.” She shot Asami a glare.

They found a table and put in their orders, a bowl of noodles for each of them, plus a helping of sea prune stew for Korra. The conversation flowed easily, and before they knew it, it was time to leave.

 _Those two seem to have hit it off_ , though Opal. “What do you think of car-pooling to training in Korra’s van? We’ll reduce our carbon footprint, and I think Korra’s driving is less likely to make me clutch the upholstery hard enough to leave marks.”

“I could give you other reasons to claw the interior of my car.”

“ _Asami!_ ”

“That’s fine by me. The car-pooling, that is,” said Korra. “That other stuff is between the two of you.” _Guess she’s not as uptight as she looks._

“I was just kidding, Korra” said Asami. “You should hear some of the jokes Opal makes at my expense. I wouldn’t mind sharing a ride.”

“I’ll pick you guys up at six tomorrow, then. Goodnight!”


	2. Fire

“Children who are exposed to battering become fearful and anxious. They are always on guard, watching and waiting for the next event to occur. They never know what will trigger the abuse, and therefore, they never feel safe. They are always worried for themselves, their mother, and their siblings. They may feel worthless and powerless.

“Children who grow up with abuse are expected to keep the family secret, sometimes not even talking to each other about the abuse. Children from abusive homes can look fine to the outside world, but inside they are in terrible pain. Their families are chaotic and crazy. They may blame themselves for the abuse thinking if they had not done or said a particular thing, the abuse would not have occurred. They may also become angry at their siblings or their mother for triggering the abuse. They may feel rage, embarrassment, and humiliation.

“Children of abuse feel isolated and vulnerable. They are starved for attention, affection and approval. Because mom is struggling to survive, she is often not present for her children. Because dad is so consumed with controlling everyone, he also is not present for his children. These children become physically, emotionally and psychologically abandoned.” [1]

\-----

“I know I signed up for this, and I’m really eager to start working at the shelter, but we’ve been listening to some depressing-ass shit this week,” said Korra. “It’s Friday. How about a little karaoke to blow off some steam?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Opal.

“I’m up for that,” said Asami.

“Great, I’m meeting a couple of friends at Ba Sing Sing. We can head straight there after the session, they’ve got decent food if you get hungry, and I won’t be drinking, so the two of you can cut loose if you want.”

\-----

They found a table with a good view of the stage. Korra went up front to wait for her friends while Opal and Asami ordered drinks and food. After some time, Korra returned, looking surly, with a stocky green-eyed black-haired young man in tow.

“Asami, Opal, this is Bolin. Bolin, meet Asami and Opal,” said Korra brusquely.

“So nice to meet you!” said Bolin, shaking hands enthusiastically with the two of them.

“Something wrong, Korra?” asked Asami. She’d left the table her usual cheerful self, then returned looking crankier than the head of Cabbage Corp’s customer satisfaction department.

“Nothing much. Just, y’know, the love of my life decided that it was OK to ditch me tonight because he’s behind on schoolwork since he put in for extra hours at work this week.”

“Korra, it’s not like that….” Said Bolin, looking uncomfortable.

“Are we or are we not here to have fun?” asked Opal. “C’mon Korra, nothing like belting out a song or two to cheer you up! I know what I want to start with.”

Opal kicked things off with a rollicking song from a musical

What good is sitting alone in your room?  
Come hear the music play  
Life is a cabaret, old chum  
Come to the cabaret

Opal’s elaborate gestures and confident strut complemented the song perfectly. Her exuberance was catchy, and even Korra got out of her funk and started smiling and tapping her fingers to the song. Bolin stared at Opal, spellbound. “She likes showtunes,” he whispered to Korra, “I think I’m in love!”

 _Start by admitting from cradle to tomb_  
It isn't that long a stay  
Life is a cabaret, old chum  
It's only a cabaret, old chum  
And I love a cabaret

Opal ended the song in style and returned to the table. “Which one of you has the guts to follow that number?” she asked.

 

“I’m up!” said Bolin. He waited in line for his turn, got the song cued up, then spoke the preamble before the music started. “It is the mission of each true knight, his duty, nay his privilege….”

 

“Uuuuuugh! Does he have to be so cheesy?” groaned Korra.

 

 _To dream the impossible dream_  
To fight the unbeatable foe  
To bear with unbearable sorrow  
And to run where  
the brave dare not go  
To right the unrightable wrong  
And to love pure and chaste from afar  
To try when your arms are too weary  
To reach the unreachable star

 

He ended dramatically, Bolin-style, belting out the final lines with one hand over his heart.

 

“I’m breaking this streak, we’re not having three musical numbers in a row,” said Asami, striding up to the mic. Her selection was decidedly different.

 

 _I'm only happy when it rains_  
I'm only happy when it's complicated  
And though I know you can't appreciate it  
I'm only happy when it rains

 

“Way to dampen our spirits, killjoy,” said Korra when Asami returned. “Guess it’s up to me to brighten things up.” She stood up, cracked her neck, shot the table a lopsided grin, and swaggered up to the mic. She had a lovely voice and moved well to the song, earning the loudest cheers yet from the crowd.

 

 _Green grass 'round my window_  
Young leaves that the wind blows  
Yes, it's springtime, golden sunshine  
And we're glad, my little love and I  
Now that summertime is nigh

 

“How was that?” asked Korra when she got back.

 

“I think it caused a dangerous spike in my blood sugar levels,” said Asami, sipping her Irish coffee.

 

“You’re just jealous because I totally nailed that song. Oops, that’s my phone, ‘scuse me.”

 

 **HotStuff:** Hey Babe, sorry I couldn’t make it today. Do you still have the weekend free? I want to take you someplace special.

 **Korra:** Yep, got nothing going on. Will you be able to stay the night tomorrow?

 **HotStuff:** Yes. Can we take your van?

 **Korra:** Sure. What time are you coming by?

 **HotStuff:** Eight o’clock. In the morning. Wear what you usually do. Make sure you get lots of rest.

 **Korra:** Heading home soon. I love you.

 **HotStuff:** Love you, too.

They stayed to sing a few more songs, then headed out. Bolin had walked, so Korra gave him a ride, too. After she had dropped everyone off, she drove home, got a few things ready for the next day, then went to bed.

\-----

“So where are we going?” asked Korra, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. Mako had insisted on driving, and she was seriously contemplating taking a nap. This was much too early to be up on a Saturday morning.

“I told you, it’s a surprise,” he said. “Go ahead and get some sleep, I know how you are about mornings. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

“OK.”

About forty five minutes later, Mako parked alongside a group of vehicles and shook Korra awake. She blinked slowly, looking around with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Why the hell are we out in the middle of nowhere, and why are all these people here?” asked Korra. “I thought you were going to take me someplace romantic.”

“I said ‘special’, not ‘romantic’, and I think you’ll enjoy this. One of the guys at work is getting his degree in forestry, and he told me there’s a group doing a controlled burn in this area as part of a prairie restoration project. Of course, I immediately thought of my pyromaniac girlfriend and managed to get us a couple of spots on the team as volunteers.”

“I get to set things on fire? _And_ help with a conservation effort?” Korra’s face lit up with excitement. “Hell yeah! Let’s get going!”

They walked over to the group, and Mako introduced Korra to his friend, Clint.

“You’ll need to sign these waivers, then check in with Zuko, the guy with the scar over his left eye. He’s in charge. His official title is ‘Fire Manager’, but we call him ‘Firelord’.”

“For real? To his face?”

“He prefers ‘Zuko’, but he doesn’t mind the nickname. If you ask nicely, he might even show you how he earned it.”

When the paperwork was done, Zuko got everyone together and went over what they were going to do.

“We’re doing this controlled burn to keep invasive plants from getting established. Fire also helps maintain the prairie by reducing thatch and undesirable woody vegetation. We’re going to start by mowing a fire break around the perimeter of the burn site. Those who aren’t mowing will rake the cut vegetation out of the fire break away from the burn area.”

To Korra’s surprise, instead of a riding mower, or even a powered push mower, Zuko and a few others brought out honest-to-Raava scythes. She grabbed a rake, expecting to have to wait on the mowers, but found herself struggling to keep up with Zuko.

“So what’s up with the Grim Reaper Gang?” Korra asked Clint, who was raking beside her.

“Well, Zuko’s always looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly. His friend Aang there, with the shaved head and tattoos, has an eco farm where they minimize machinery use. So they till the land with ostrich horses, reap crops using scythes and so on. Zuko asked him to help with mowing fire breaks so we wouldn’t have to use a tractor mower, even learnt how to himself so he could help. Zuko’s uncle, Iroh, over there,” Clint pointed to a stocky old man with an impressive beard, “wanted to try his hand at it, too, said it would help him work off his belly. That young lady,” Clint indicated a girl who looked to be about twelve, “is Aang’s granddaughter, Jinora. She’s small, but she more than pulls her weight.” Indeed, she moved with a grace and efficiency that belied her age, and the blade of her scythe sliced through the waist-high vegetation like it was cutting through air.

When they were done preparing the fire break, it was time to set the fires. First, everyone was equipped with a five gallon backpack sprayer unit and a swatter for putting out any flames that got out of control.

Clint nudged Korra. “Now’s a good time to ask Zuko if he’ll show you how he earned his nickname.”

 _I’m not passing this up_ , thought Korra as she strode up to Zuko. “I hear they call you ‘Firelord’, would you mind showing me why?”

Zuko’s face broke out in a grin. “It just so happens I came prepared. I heard we’d be getting a couple of newbies, and they always want to see that. It’s also a dramatic way to kick off setting the fires.”

He brought out a glass bottle filled with a clear fluid, and a metal rod that had one end wrapped in cloth. He uncapped the bottle, poured some of its contents on the cloth, and then set it alight. He walked to where he could stand with his back to the wind, facing a few metres away from the fire break. He motioned for Korra and Mako to stand on either side of him, but at a distance. Then, he crouched low to the ground, inhaled deeply, took a swig of the liquid in the bottle, and blew out a huge gout of fire at the grass, turning his head so the flames formed a burning arc on the grass.

“I _SO_ want to learn how to do that,” said Korra once she got her voice back.

“You’ll have to start with water and get the spraying right first. Stop by my uncle’s teashop in Republic City, the Jasmine Dragon, and he’ll work on it with you. He doesn’t do fire breathing anymore, though. Had to choose between that and his beard, and the beard won out.”

After that, as they worked the burn, Korra tried putting out errant flames by spitting water at them. Iroh called her a natural when she managed to get a good strong spray after only a few tries.

They finally got done at about two o’clock. Korra and Mako drove off after saying their goodbyes, Korra at the wheel this time.

“Korra, this isn’t the way back to the city.”

“Who said we were going back? You promised me the weekend, so I packed accordingly.”

Mako looked at the back of the van. The second row seats had been taken out, and there was a cooler, a duffel bag, and……

“Korra, is that the mattress from your futon?”

“It is, and I carried it down four flights of stairs, so you better not have any objection to sleeping on it tonight.”

“No, but I assume you’ll want to do other stuff besides sleep, and I didn’t bring any, uh, protection.”

“It’s taken care of, check out the glove compartment.”

Mako opened the glove compartment, and half-a-dozen condoms fell out. He picked one up. The wrapper had a picture of President Raiko on it, with the words, “if only his father had used one”.

“Are these supposed to be funny?”

“Mako, you’re kidding, right? They’re hilarious!”

Finally, she turned onto a dirt that wound its way through some woods before ending in an open field.

“Well, here we are!” said Korra with a wide smile.

“Are we spending the night here? Where’s the tent, I’ll set it up.”

“I trashed it last time we went camping, remember? I left my fire twirling gear at home this time.”

“Thank Raava! So we’re crashing in your van?”

“Yep, but first let’s go for a dip in the lake there, we reek of smoke. I brought towels and a change of clothes. Even brought some for you, since you seem to leave some clothing behind every time you spend the night.”

“I don’t have any swim gear, though, should I just swim in my boxers?”

“I didn’t bring swim gear either, Mako, but there’s no-one around for miles, live a little,” said Korra as she started stripping down.

They swam for about an hour. Mako decided to go without his boxers, but nervously scanned their surroundings every few minutes. When they were done, they towelled off, laid out the tablecloth Korra had brought, and had a little picnic. Mako had put on shorts and a t-shirt. Korra had her towel wrapped around her waist, but didn’t bother putting anything else on.

When they were done eating, they put the leftovers away in the van, then sat outside admiring the sunset.

“So what do you want to do now, Korra?”

“You,” said Korra, undoing the towel.

“Um, right, let’s get in the van, then.”

“Raava’s tail ribbons, Mako, grab a condom so we can have some rollicking sex out here under the open sky. I want to give the jackalopes and squirrel monkeys an eyeful. Get a move on, I’m not getting any less horny.”

\-----

They woke up a few hours later. The stars were out, and a sliver of moon gleamed in the sky.

“Let’s get inside,” said Korra. “There are skunk bears in the area. They usually leave you alone, but if we’re sleeping, and one comes up to us and gets startled…..I hear the smell’s hard to get rid of.”

As they got comfortable on the futon, Korra reached out and ran her fingers teasingly over Mako’s abs.

“Ready for round two?”

“I was ready when I woke up with you naked beside me. Could we get some light? I can’t see anything.”

“You’ve got to learn to go by feel.”

Korra fumbled around a bit, then a glowing green disk appeared in her hand.

“Korra! What the hell is that?”

“It’s a condom brand called ‘Light in the Dark’. Stop squirming around. It uses a safe, non-toxic pigment sandwiched between two layers of latex. Hold still!”

She finally got it on. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“It’s – it’s a little disturbing seeing my dick glowing like that.”

“Mako,” said Korra, speaking slowly, “I think it’s too bright in here, and you need to put out the light. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

\-----

“I had a great time, Mako, thanks for doing this,” said Korra as they drove back to the city. “What do you want to do when we get back to civilization?”

“I need to go home and do some studying. Law school’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be.”

“Yeah, I need to do some homework myself.”

They parted ways at Korra’s building, Mako driving home in his car, and Korra taking her van over to the teashop that Zuko had mentioned. She brought her laptop into the teashop, planning to finish up a paper she was working on. She smiled when she saw Iroh behind the counter.

“Hello, Korra. Glad to see you here.”

“It’s good to see you, too. What do you suggest I try?”

“Well, if you want tea, my favourite is the ginseng. If you prefer coffee, I’m trying out a new drink called the Vaatuccino. It’s made with espresso, a touch of cinnamon, cocoa, sugar and milk, and it’s topped with milk foam. I’ll let you have one for free if you give me some feedback.”

“Can’t turn down an offer like that. I’ll have one, please.”

Iroh made the drink, skilfully swirling a design on top of the foam using chocolate syrup.

“Wow,” said Korra. “Is that one of the spirits?”

“Yes, it’s Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness.”

“It looks amazing. Let’s see what it tastes like.”

Korra took a sip and closed her eye, savouring the mingled flavours of chocolate, cinnamon, and high-quality Fire Nation coffee.

“It tastes fantastic, Iroh. I think you’ve got a hit with this.”

“Thank you. I’ll be adding it to the menu soon.”

Korra found a table and slowly sipped her drink as she typed up her paper. She finished both at about the same time, and went to the counter again.

“Could I get another one, please? I’m paying for it this time.”

“Certainly.”

“So do you think I’ll be able to learn to breathe fire?”

“You managed to get a good spray with the water, stick with practicing with that for a while. Make sure you don’t inhale while you have the water in your mouth, and refrain from inhaling until you’ve sprayed all of it out.”

“Thanks, Iroh. I’ll keep working on that until you think I’m ready for the next step. How soon do you think that will be?”

“It’s hard to say, but you seem to have a natural aptitude for it. Zuko’s sister, Azula, was fire-breathing like a pro after only a week, but she was a prodigy. She could do things with fire that I’d never seen before.”

“What does she do now?”

“She’s a much sought-after master pyrotechnician, and she also owns a demolition company that specialises in building implosions.”

“Wow, she sounds awesome!”

“She had a few difficult years growing up, but she’s turned into a successful woman. I’m very proud of her.”

\-----

Korra got home and unloaded her van, grumbling a little that Mako hadn’t thought to offer to help with the futon mattress. She took a shower and got ready for bed. It had been an exhausting but enjoyable weekend, and she fell asleep soon after her head hit the pillow.

 

[1]Sourced from http://www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org/effect-on-children.html

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of week one of training, which runs four week long. I thought I'd have Korra, Asami, Opal and Bolin bond over Karaoke. Korra likes sappy love songs, Opal and Bolin like showtunes, and Asami leans towards angsty hard rock/punk/metal. I've got some songs in mind already for future chapters, but feel free to chip in with suggestions. Here are the songs in the order they appear:
> 
> "Cabaret" - from the musical of the same name  
> "The Impossible Dream (the Quest)" - from the musical "the Man of La Mancha  
> "Only Happy When it Rains" - Garbage  
> "Green Grass" - Gary Lewis and the Playboys
> 
> I actually know two people who do controlled burns as part of their job. I didn't have a chance to talk to either of them about the technicalities of it, so the stuff I wrote is what I gleaned off the internet. I actually went into quite a bit more detail about the burn, but cut quite a bit because it didn't relate to the overall plot, and I didn't think many people would find it as interesting as I did.
> 
> I felt awkward writing about Korra and Mako, especially since I was working on it concurrent to a chapter in my other fic (update coming soon) where Korra and Asami are getting frisky. I now feel like I have the equivalent of mental whiplash.
> 
> Comments, suggestions and corrections are most welcome. I'm kind of writing this one on the fly, and don't have a beta, so feedback would help me tremendously.


	3. Computer Labs and Lobster-Crabs

**Future Industries Tower**

Asami pulled into her spot at the Future Industries Tower parking garage and headed up to her office. She was surprised to see her office-mate, Jodi, already in there when she opened the door. It was a pleasant surprise, though. Jodi was the only closest thing she had to a friend among her co-workers. Being the daughter of the CEO made socialising among her colleagues awkward. Some people blatantly fawned over her in hopes of currying favour with her father, while others, not wanting to come across as toadies, were professional but aloof with her. Jodi had managed to find the happy medium.

“What are you doing in the building this early on a Saturday, stranger?” asked Jodi.

 **“** I didn’t have any plans so I thought I’d run some simulations to see how the safety features for my new design hold up under different stresses. What’s your excuse?”

“I blame your dad. He’s been having me work out specifics with the new client, I’m sort of the liaison between them and R&D. We’re going over a lot of boring stuff like timeframes and budgets.  So I have to come in on the weekends to do the fun part of my job.”

“It’s your fault for being an engineer with actual people skills,” said Asami, smiling. “Just imagine if the client had to deal directly with some of the people in R&D.”

“You’re one to talk. Your dad told me about your complete, first edition, pristine-in-plastic collection of _Avatar_ comics.”

Asami blushed. “At least I can hold a conversation on topics other than comics, video games and anime. I sat next to Bill from IT at lunch the other day, and he spent most of the hour telling me about the new character he created in _World of Avatar_. He droned on and on about why he allocated the stats the way he did, how he agonised over which magical items to use and what weapons to wield, all the stuff he did to level optimally. It was excruciating. Then he asked me if I wanted join his guild and meet up for some missions online. I’m not 100% sure, but I think he was hitting on me.”

“IT can take nerd to a whole new level,” said Jodi once she managed to get her laughter under control. “Are you going to take him up on it?”

Asami snorted. “Please, I actually have a life, you know.”

“Really? How are you managing grad school _and_ being a part-time engineer with full-time productivity? We hardly see you in the building anymore.”

“There’s a lot of overlap, my work experience let me bypass a good chunk of the required coursework, and they’re allowing some of the design work I’m doing for the company to count towards my degree, so school itself doesn’t take up that much more time. I do some of my Future Industries work remotely, but I had to come in today because they’ve become much stricter with the security protocols after Cabbage Corp’s attempt at industrial espionage, so I have to leave all my notes and schematics in-house. Also, the servers that run the programmes I need can only be accessed on the internal network.”

They talked a little about their current projects, then worked until lunchtime.

“I can’t believe you’re eating lunch at your desk on a weekend,” said Jodi in disbelief as Asami got a lunchbox out of her backpack.

“Don’t worry, I won’t stay that much longer,” said Asami, “I do plan to do something other than work this weekend. And it’s _not_ online gaming, in case you were thinking of asking.”

“Well, I’m off,” said Jodi, “I’ve got a lunch date. Have a good weekend!”

“You, too. Enjoy your date.”

Asami ate while she worked, tweaking some parameters and re-running the simulation to see the effects. It was almost four o’clock when she was finally satisfied with the results. She wrote out what changes needed to be made, then locked up her notes and flash drive and left for her flat.

\-----

**Opal and Asami’s flat**

Opal was in when Asami got home.

“Hi, Opal. What are you up to this evening?”

“I’m going to the theatre. The _Ember Island Players_ are hitting Republic City this weekend. They’re doing a touring performance of _The Boy in the Iceberg – the Musical_. I’m going with Korra’s friend, Bolin. What about you?”

“I was thinking of hitting the Secret Tunnel, they’ve got a decent band playing tonight. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky.”

“Asami, you could probably have your pick of whoever’s available, you’re just choosy. Which is a good thing. Um…..if you do bring someone home, could you please ask them to put on some clothes before leaving your bedroom? It was a bit of a shock that one time, going in the dining room for breakfast and finding a naked guy eating cereal.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll make sure my dance partner minds their manners.”

Opal was dressed and out the door by five o’clock. She was meeting Bolin for an early dinner before the show. Asami took a nap, then had a light meal and got ready. She went casual tonight, black jeans, black boots, maroon tank top and a maroon Future Industries Drinking Jacket **® **[1]****.

There weren’t that many people in the bar when Asami got there. During the Prohibition era, when the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was banned in the United Republic of Nations, the Secret Tunnel had been one of the establishments that had catered to the public’s demand for illicit liquor. Unlike other similar establishments, it continued to flourish after Prohibition was repealed. It had two levels. The upper level, which back in the day had been the café that fronted the illegal activities in the rest of the building, was where you went for quiet conversation. The basement, formerly accessible only through a secret door behind the upstairs bar, was the livelier section, with darts, billiards, and a small stage for music. Asami headed downstairs.

“A bottle of lychee Spirit Oasis Sparkler[2], please.”

She slid the bottle into the neoprene-lined chest pocket of her jacket. _So glad I talked dad into making these as a sideline_. She found a seat with a good view of the stage, and settled in to listen to the band, the Rough Rhinos[3]. Their music had a hard, driving beat, decent melody, and reasonably meaningful lyrics and was just what she was in the mood for tonight.

Taking the occasional sip of her drink, she glanced around the room. A knife pocket clip caught her eye. _Looks like Piandao Forges’ new one, Meteor. Clip point blade with partial serration, assisted opening feature so it deploys when drawn. Strong linerlock._ She remembered watching the video where they embedded half the blade in a wooden beam, and then had someone do chinups on the handle without the lock failing. She looked at the blade’s owner. _Athletic build, moves well through a crowd, someone to watch out for_.[4]

She sensed someone coming up beside her and turned to see an attractive woman in a loose short-sleeved knee length dress with Sun Warrior designs on it, the bright colours contrasting beautifully with her ebony skin. “Since you’re eyeing up that guy, I’m going to assume this seat next to you isn’t taken. May I?”

“Please do. And I wasn’t eyeing him up, I was just appreciating the way he…..accessorizes.”

“Honey, you don’t have to give me any excuses if you want to ogle. I’m Brigitte,” she said, holding out her hand as she sat down.

“Asami.” She let the handshake and her eyes linger a little longer than necessary. “Can I buy you a drink?”

She got an amused look. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

Asami smiled. “You took the only empty chair in our immediate vicinity, so I’m inferring that you came alone and aren’t expecting company. You don’t have a drink yet, so I’m offering to get you one, and it doesn’t come with any strings attached.”

“Can’t pass up an offer like that. I’ll have a Serpent’s Pass Sling[5].”

Asami got Brigitte her drink, as well as another SOS for herself. They listened to the music and chatted in the lulls between songs. Their small-talk soon turned into light flirting. When the band announced their final number for the day, Asami said, “I’m leaving, I can give you a ride home if you need one.”

“It’s late, I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”

“I like driving, it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” She paused. “You’re welcome to come over.”

“I’d love to, but let’s make it my place.”

\-----

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Asami drove Brigitte home, kissed her goodbye, and silently breathed a sigh of relief when no mention was made of exchanging contact information. She returned home to find Opal humming a tune as she was doing her homework.

“You’re in a good mood. I take it the date went well.”

“It wasn’t a date, we just went for dinner and a show together.”

“Sounds like a date to me. Are you going to see him again?”

“Maybe. What about you? Did you just pull another hump and dump?”

“I fed her breakfast and took her home.”

Opal rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Sato. Dad says to tell you he really enjoyed spending time with you and your father last weekend. Ugh, all that geek talk. Can you explain how I could feel like a fifth wheel when there were only four of us?”

Asami laughed. “Speaking of my father, I’m meeting him for lunch at his place today. I’d invite you, but we’ve got some company stuff to discuss, and most of it is confidential, top secret and deadly boring.”

“Say no more, I know how the two of you get when you go into engineering mode. Will you be home for dinner?”

“Yes, did you have something planned?”

“I’m going to fix some chili lobster-crab. I have all the ingredients, but I need you to pick up a submarine loaf from Boiling Rock Bakery[6] on your way back. We can sit at the coffee table and watch a mover while we eat.”

“You’re the best, Opal! I’m so lucky to have a roommate who can cook.”

\-----

**Rooftop garden, Sato Plaza penthouse**

The table was covered by an array of steamer baskets. There were two kinds of dumplings (pig-deer and shrimp), savoury fried radish cakes, sticky rice and komodo sausage wrapped in lotus leaves, stewed possum-chicken feet and seaweed wraps.

“This is awesome, dad,” said Asami as she dug into the food like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“There are egg custard tarts for dessert, so save some room,” said Hiroshi, chuckling. “Opal says you live on cold cuts, salad, and fruit when you’re not eating takeout, so I thought I’d feed you up a little.”

When the dishes were cleared away, Asami sat back with a contented sigh. “That was delicious, dad. My compliments to the chef.”

“I’ll be sure to let Kee know that you enjoyed the meal,” said Hiroshi with a smile.

“So tell me what’s got our information security people in such a tizzy. I know something happened, and Cabbage Corp was involved, but the people I’ve had a chance to talk to about it have been kind of vague.”

“You know Dave Weston, right? He’s the senior project manager.” Asami nodded. “Well, he’s had to take on a lot of extra work because two of his staff are on medical leave – one had open-heart surgery, and one is recovering from a case of pentapox that he contracted while vacationing in Omashu. I think all that stress is what made him forgetful enough to leave his briefcase behind when he went to lunch at Kwong’s a couple of weeks ago. It had his laptop in it, with some of the schematics for our new designs. Anyway, he realised his mistake after he had driven a few blocks, and rushed back to retrieve it, only to find that it was gone. He called it in to the office immediately, and we got the cybersecurity crew on it.

“They used the laptop’s geo-tracking system to trace its location to one of Cabbage Corp’s factories. The laptop had fingerprint biometric authentication on it, but a determined hacker can bypass it given enough time. Luckily, we’d made it mandatory last year that all laptops and mobile devices with corporate data on them have to have remote wipe, lock, and passcode reset capabilities. We went with the safest option and deleted all the data.”

“Wow. That could have gone a lot worse.”

“Indeed. We’re lucky we found out about the loss as quickly as we did. Anyway, that’s the reason for the crackdown on security. It also made me realise how much work was being heaped on Dave. I’m planning to promote one of the project managers to senior project manager, to work alongside Dave, and I’ve got someone in mind to bump up to project manager.”

“It’s Jodi, right? Is that why you’re having her do dull non-engineering work?”

“Asami, you know budgeting and scheduling are as much a part of what we do as research and development. Yes, she seems to be the most qualified. You’d be in the running too, of course, but you’re in school right now. Besides, I know how you feel about the more…..mundane aspects of engineering.

“Speaking of school, how’s that going?”

“It’s the start of the school year, so things aren’t too hectic yet, but I’ll be finishing up my thesis work this year, so I expect it’s going to get very busy very fast. Oh, and Opal talked me into volunteering at the domestic violence shelter. Once I complete training, I’ll be doing one shift a week there.”

“Is this leaving you any time for a social life? I know you want to keep your relationships…..casual after what you went through with Tahno. I – I just want you to be happy, and I hope you’ll find someone who will make you as happy as your mother made me…..” Hiroshi’s voice trailed off, and he blinked hard as he reached for his cup of tea.

Asami smiled sadly at her father. _And you haven’t so much as looked at anyone since she died_. “I’m happy with the way things are, dad, really. Maybe someday I’ll find the right person and decide I want a serious relationship with them, but that’s just not something I’m ready for right now.”

Hiroshi sighed. “I can’t help worrying. You know it’s because I love you, right?”

“I know, dad. I love you, too.”

\-----

**Opal and Asami’s flat**

“Managed to snag a fresh-out-of-the-oven submarine loaf at the bakery,” said Asami triumphantly as she walked in the door. She set the bread down on the counter by the ingredients that Opal had neatly laid out. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Sure,” said Opal. She was wearing her _Feed the Void_ apron. “Could you grab that tub and put it up on the kitchen table, please?”

Asami picked up the tub…..then quickly dropped it and jumped back, screaming, “What the flaming flash-fried fuck are those?!?”

“Nice use of alliteration. Those are lobster-crabs. You know, what I told you I’d be cooking for dinner.”

“But they’re alive!”

“Keen eyes, Sato. Yes, they’re alive. They taste best if you kill them right before cooking. Now put them up on the table so I can get to work.”

Asami gingerly picked up the tub and set it on the table, which Opal had lined with newspapers. Opal flipped a lobster-crab over and picked up her implements of execution. Asami’s eyes narrowed.

“Make like a leaf in liquid nitrogen, Beifong!” Opal froze in confusion. “You’re holding my screwdriver and my hammer. From my toolkit. That my father gave me for my birthday.”

“Yes, and I’m sure that he’ll be happy they’re being used to help prepare a tasty feast for his daughter.”

“You crazy bitch, I don’t want you using my tools to perform lobster-crab lobotomies!”

After some wrangling, Opal switched over to the honing steel and rolling pin as alternatives. Asami left the kitchen to put away her tools and distance herself from the impending carnage. Soon, a delicious smell filled the air. Asami set the coffee table, and pulled up _Kuruk and Ummi_ on Vineflix. Opal brought in the steaming platter of chili lobster-crab, and they ate as they watched the mover.

 

[1] [This](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/drinking-jacket-lamprey_n_6366064.html) but without the hood and with the Future Industries logo. Asami particularly likes the neoprene-lined beer koozie pocket. She’s the cautious type. Her self-defence instructors have impressed upon her the importance of situational awareness, so she’s somewhat paranoid about setting her drink down where anyone could slip something into it.

[2] Non-alcoholic, commonly referred to as a SOS. Also comes in mango, moon peach, and sea prune flavours. Sea prune is usually only available in the Northern and Southern Water Tribe regions.

[3]They sound like Shinedown.

[4]Asami believes in Maj. Gen. James Mattis’ philosophy: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” It keeps parties and business meetings interesting.

[5]Doesn’t actually contain any snake parts, unlike the Pickled Prickle-Snake Slammer (best ordered when still sober enough to actually pronounce the name).

[6]Famous for the variety and quality of their breads, they are so popular that they frequently sell out of all their product before closing time. Has the distinction of being the only business in Republic City whose staff is made up almost entirely of convicted felons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the story seems a little disjointed so far. I do have an end goal that I’m working towards, and several checkpoints that I want to hit on the way there. Right now, I’m drabbling from one checkpoint to the next, but hopefully everything ties in together at the end. Questions, comments, suggestions and corrections are always welcome.


	4. Love Wins in Ba Sing Se

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a stand-alone filler chapter.

Ba Sing Se is a city-state with an elective monarchy. Upon the death or abdication of a monarch, the nobles of the Upper Ring elect one of their own to ascend the throne as monarch for life. The reign of the previous ruler, Queen Hou-Ting, was marked by her heavy-handed use of the Dai Li[1] to curtail free speech and other civil liberties. The judges she appointed to the High Court[2] were mostly old and conservative people who favoured the draconian laws she enacted. She passed away suddenly eight years ago when she choked on a rice cake[3]. Her personal chef, Zaheer, was charged with regicide on the grounds that he failed to cut the rice cakes up into safely chewable portions. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was pardoned by Hou-Ting’s successor, King Wu.

King Wu is of a much more liberal bent than his predecessor. When the time came for the court to rule on the constitutionality of the ban on same-sex marriages, three of the nine judges were his appointees.

\-----

**Republic City University, Opal and Korra’s classroom**

“Hey Korra, since there’s no training today, you should come to our place after class. The High Court of Ba Sing Se should be arriving at a decision this afternoon, and Asami and I plan on watching the live newsfeed[4]. I’ll fix some pizza for dinner. I’ve also got lots of beer ready because I know I’ll want to get blitzed either way the ruling goes. You’re welcome to spend the night if you want to drink with me. Please. Asami never drinks on school nights, and I’d feel like a lush getting sloshed alone.”

“Sure I’ll come. Free food, free booze, and getting to watch history in the making with friends, how could I turn that down? I’ll run home after class to get what I need, and I’ll meet you at your place.”

\-----

**Opal and Asami’s flat**

The three of them sat in front of the tv, drinks and pizza in hand, and chatted as the news analysts droned on.

“I really hope they make same-sex marriages legal,” said Opal. “My brother, Huan, moved to Ba Sing Se ten years ago to be with his boyfriend, and they still live there. I think they’re ready to tie the knot.”

“Why’d he move to Ba Sing Se?” asked Korra. “You could marry almost anyone of legal age outside of your immediate family in Zaofu.”

“My mum thinks it’s because he wanted to boost his “suffering artist” image. Zaofu was just _too_ accepting for him. I think he thought it was going to be a huge deal when he came out, but nobody really cared, they just kept treating him the same. The only thing he got to complain about in Zaofu was people not understanding his art. Then this accountant in Ba Sing Se who’s got and art blog made a comment about Huan’s work, they start corresponding, and suddenly he’s moved to Ba Sing Se to be with his soulmate.

“Hou-Ting was still alive when he moved there, so he had no shortage of things to complain about. Living under an oppressive regime seemed to agree with him, he looked much happier than when he was living in Zaofu. Of course, his boyfriend, Cho, is a great guy, and that could have something to do with it, too.”

“What was it like for him, living there under Hou-Ting’s rule?” asked Asami.

“Well, you had to be really careful what you say or write about her, or you could face a defamation lawsuit. Most people who got sued lost, and the fines were all out of proportion to the offense. Hou-Ting got quite a bit of money that way, not that she needed it. Huan would probably have been hauled in front of the courts within a week of arriving, but Cho kept him reined in. Cho’s family was very supportive of them, which helped.

“Huan saved his venting for when he came home to visit. We got to hear about how oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexuals or homosexuals was illegal, how two men kissing was called “gross indecency” and considered a crime. Mum finally had to tell him that, while she and dad were perfectly willing to discuss these matters with him, the dinner table really wasn’t the place for it. I was fourteen at the time, and my twin brothers were twelve.”

“How do you think it will go? I mean, the three justices Wu appointed will probably vote to legalise, but what about the other six?” asked Korra.

“Well, I think Hou-Ting’s gaydar wasn’t on when she appointed Justice Tong,” said Asami, drawing snickers from both Korra and Opal, “so that makes it five-to-four. I’m betting Justice Bao will cast the swing vote.”

“Looks like they’re ready. Here we go,” said Korra.

_No longer may liberty be denied._

Opal whooped, then quickly quieted down so they could hear the rest. She had tears in her eyes when it was over.

“This is one time I wish I was gay[5],” said Opal.

 

[1]Secret police serving under the direct authority of the monarch.

[2]The constitutional court of Ba Sing Se which rules on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional.

[3]Seriously, people, that stuff is dangerous. Check out [this](http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/06/national/officials-remind-mochi-eaters-chew-slowly-several-choking-deaths/#.VY76DkZBsdU) article.

[4]Ba Sing Se Time is 3 hours behind Republic City Time.

[5]One of my friends actually said this when a group of us were discussing the SCOTUS decision at dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Threw this together because I still feel like celebrating. Comments are very welcome.


	5. Food Porn Day 1

**Sunday**

“Seriously, Mako? You’re busy until 10 every evening next week?”

“Korra, I’m in law school. We discussed this before the school year started, you knew I wouldn’t have as much time to hang out with you. Plus, I joined the moot court, and the team is getting together every night this week to go over arguments to get ready for the competition on Saturday.”

“Fine. I’ll find someone else to help me out. Did you forget to shave?”

“I’m going for the moustache-goatee look. I think it’ll help me look older and more serious. First impressions matter in competition.”

\-----

 **Korra:** My neighbours emptied out their fridge before going on vacation and gave me a crapload of food. Would you and Asami want to come to dinner after training next week? Like every day? I need help, I can’t go through all this food alone.

 **Opal:** I just checked with Asami. We’re going to hit the gym extra hard today so we can help you do battle with the contents of your fridge next week.

 **Korra:** Great!

\-----

**Monday**

**Training**

“As volunteers, you’ll be filling different roles. During your shift, if you’re at the desk, you’ll be manning the 24 hour domestic violence crisis hotline, doing intakes for new residents, making shelter rules are followed, checking that chores are done, and lending an ear to residents who need someone to talk to.

“You could also help with the kids. The children’s advocate does an after school programme for the kids in the shelter from 3 – 5. You’ll help with homework, read to the younger ones, play board games, sing songs with the kids, etc. What you do will depend on the age range of the children in the shelter at the moment.”

\-----

**Korra’s flat**

“Make yourselves at home. I’ve got gemsbock-bull that’s been cooking in the slow-cooker all day with the lid off. It started out covered in a spicy coconut gravy, and it’s cooked down to where almost all the liquid is gone.[1] I’ve got some rice already cooked up. I just have to stir-fry some veggies and we’ll be good to go.”

“Let me help with cutting up the vegetables. We can’t let Asami cook, though. She’s set off our smoke detector more times than I can count.”

“I can use the microwave just fine, thank you.”

“Yeah, except the time you let the bag of popcorn go too long. We had to get a new microwave after that little incident.”

Korra got an extra cutting board and knife for Opal, and they started slicing vegetables.

“Did you get sunburnt or something, Korra? Those red patches on your skin look painful,” said Opal

“Uh, something must have irritated it.” Korra caught Asami giving her a knowing smile and flushed. _Stupid stubble burn. Stupid Mako and his stupid whiskers._

When the vegetable were cooked, they filled their plates and sat down to eat.

“”Korra, this is delicious. The meat just falls apart,” said Asami.

“It’s a tough cut, but the slow braise really tenderizes it. I toned down the spices. I’ve got Water Tribe taste buds, we usually only season our dishes with salt.”

“Well, I think it’s perfect,” said Asami.

“So how do you and Opal know each other?”

“I was roommates with her brother, Baatar, when I was an undergrad. I met Opal when she came to visit him.”

“Baatar invited her to come visit Zaofu during breaks, and we hung out a lot and became good friends. Asami’s got quite the naughty streak.”

Korra’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”

“Really. One night, she and Bataar reprogrammed a digital billboard to read ‘Civil Engineers Create the World’s Largest Erections’.”

Korra nearly choked on her food. Asami had to slap her back hard a few times before she stopped coughing.

“Well, it looks like I totally misread you,” said Korra when she could speak again. She stuck out her hand at Asami. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

 

[1] [This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendang) is what Korra made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters will be short and will follow this format: a snippet about the training, some food porn, and a little character background.  
> A big thank you to Traeger, whose comment in the previous chapter made me realise that I did not clarify that they would be going through 40 hours of classroom training (spread over 4 weeks) before they get to do anything in the shelter, which is what DV shelters in the US require. See? Comments help. I need all the help I can get.
> 
> I'd also like to thank everyone for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story.


	6. Food Porn Day 2

**Tuesday**

**Somewhere between Korra’s flat and campus**

Korra pedalled along, enjoying the breeze in her face. Just as the first campus buildings came into view, she saw a small shape moving slowly in the middle of the road. She pulled over, laid her bike on the side of the road, and walked quickly over to pick up the turtle she had seen.

“Let’s get you to a safe place, little guy. I know just the spot.”

She got her bike, and, wheeling it with one hand and carrying the turtle in the other, walked through the grass until she reached a small pond. She set the turtle down beside it.

“Now stay off the roads, you hear?”

A flash of orange on the ground by some trees caught her eye. _Looks like karma’s rewarding me._

**Training**

“When you get a crisis call, you need to safety plan with the caller. Ask if they’re in a safe place, or if they can get to one. Ask if they want to come to the shelter. If they do, they have to get here themselves, we can’t go get them because it could be dangerous for our staff. If they don’t have a car, see if they can get a ride from someone they trust, or if they can take a bus or a cab. The police will give them a ride to the shelter, but the client has to contact them, we can’t call the police for them.

“If they don’t want to come to the shelter, work on a contingency plan with them. Have them think of a trusted friend or relative they could go to if things escalate with their abuser.

“If there are children, ask them to plan with the children. Make sure the kids know how to contact the police. If there’s a neighbour they trust, arrange for the kids to run to their place if things escalate at home.”

**Korra’s flat**

“I’m going to roast this possum-chicken,” said Korra as she slid chopped herbs and slivers of garlic under its skin. “It’s small, so it won’t take long, and it should be done by the time I finish making the risotto. We’ll have a green salad to go with it. You guys just relax. Watch something on the tv.”

“Do you have any coffee?” asked Asami.

Korra was a little taken aback. “At this time of night?”

“Asami drinks the stuff non-stop when things start to pick up at school.”

“The coffeemaker is over there, supplies are in that cabinet. Help yourself.”

Korra put the possum-chicken in the over, then started on the risotto. She sautéed the rice in olive oil with some onion and garlic, then slowly added broth. When the rice was almost ready, she sautéed her secret ingredient in a pan with some butter, then poured it into the pot of rice. She gently stirred everything together. She got the possum-chicken out of the over, and let it rest while she dressed the salad.

“Dinner’s ready!”

They sat down at the dinner table. Korra carved the possum-chicken and passed it around.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Opal spoke up. “This risotto is great, Korra.”

“I picked some mushrooms off the side of the road and decided to throw them in. Don’t know what they’re called, but they looked tasty.”

Asami spat out her mouthful of risotto and fumbled for her phone. _Poison control! Or should we go straight to hospital? I’ll call an ambulance. Looks like Korra’s having a seizure._

Korra had her face down on the table, her shoulder shaking as she gasped for air. Then she looked up, and her blue eyes were filled with tears of laughter.

“Relax. I’m not an expert mycologist, but I know how to identify certain edible mushrooms. Those are chanterelles.”

Asami punched Korra in the shoulder. Hard.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“For scaring me half to death.” She glared at Opal. “You seem pretty calm.”

“That’s because I’ve had chanterelles before,” grinned Opal. “Do you do a lot of foraging, Korra?”

“Some. There are a few blackberry bushes not far from here. I harvested some yesterday. You have to really want them, though.” She showed them the scratches on her hands. “In the spring, I get fruit from the mulberry trees outside, but I have to compete with the birds and squirrels. And of course, there’s morel hunting. I know a couple of good spots for that.”

“What are morels?” asked Asami. “Are they dangerous?”

“Not particularly. They’re a mushroom. Although that’s an understatement. They’re one of the great delights of spring. You need sharp eyes, perseverance and luck to be a successful morel hunter.”

“So where do you go to look for them?” asked Asami.

Korra gave her a serious look. “You don’t know morel etiquette, so I'll forget you asked that. You _never_ ask someone where their morel-hunting spots are. I mean, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Opal snorted. “You could try. Asami’s a serious badass, she’s been taking special forces ninja lessons since she was eight.”

Korra grinned. “I don’t have to fight her, I could just feed her a batch of poisonous mushrooms and call it an accident. Ow! You know it’s rude to hit your host, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we’ll learn a little about Suyin’s past. And there will be footnotes.


	7. Food Porn Day 3

**Wednesday**

**Future Industries Tower**

Jodi looked up as Asami walked into the office. “Hi, Asami. What brings you here on a weekday?”

“My simulations have been going well, and I think I’m ready to test a prototype, so I’m going to run a copy of my blueprints by the machine shop so they can put me on their job queue.”

“I’ve got something to run by there, too. I’ll walk with you.”

“Congratulations, on the promotion, by the way,” said Asami as they got in the lift. She noticed something glinting on Jodi’s left hand. “Is that ring new?”

“Thanks, and yes, I just got the ring. I’ve been dating Ted, from accounting, and he proposed a few days ago.”

“Congratulations again! Have you thought of a date, yet?”

“We’re just going to do a quick and easy civil ceremony at the courthouse. We don’t need anything fancy. I just got promoted, and he heard that he’s being considered for a promotion in a month or two, so we’re at a good place with our careers, and we both feel we’re ready for this.”

“Well, let me know when you tie the knot, I want to get you a gift.”

\-----

**Training**

“The shelter is a safe place. A resident who threatens anyone there – fellow residents, volunteers, staff – gets referred out. Everyone also needs to mind their language. We have to be family-friendly, and bad language could also be triggers for some people. You also have to watch what you wear. No t-shirts with offensive comments or alcoholic products on them. Use your common sense.”

\-----

**Korra’s flat**

Korra had an electric skillet[1] with broth in it set in the middle of the dining table. She got two platters out of the fridge, one with sliced meats on it, one with vegetables. She also set out a plate with uncooked noodles on it.

“All right, you know the drill[2],” said Korra as she handed out bowls and chopsticks. Each person got a slotted spoon to cook the raw ingredients in the broth, and a smaller bowl for sauce. “Here’s a ladle for broth, and there’s more on the stove if we need it.”

They put ingredients in the broth and started mixing up their individual dipping sauces while the food cooked.

“So, Opal,” said Korra, “I read an interview with your mum on the ‘Kyoshi on Ecology’[3] blog. I think it’s incredibly awesome that she essentially built a whole sustainable city from the ground up.”

“Yeah, mum’s pretty amazing. She couldn’t have done it without dad, though. She’s the creative ideas and big picture person, he’s the one who takes care of the more practical stuff.”

“She seemed a little evasive when it came to how she got the capital to buy the land and start building. Is there a story behind that?”

“Her maternal grandparents were pretty wealthy, and they did give her some starter money, so that’s what the ‘official’ story is. The truth is much more interesting.

“Mum’s always been a nonconformist who doesn’t care too much for living up to other peoples’ expectations. That attitude got her where she is today, but when she was a teenager, it got her branded as a delinquent. That just made her want to act out more, so she started dating the son of one of the triad bosses. That’s a little awkward when your mother is Republic City’s chief public prosecutor, and your older half-sister is on the police force. It wasn’t really anything serious on her part, but he was head-over-heels in love with her. Grandma was furious when she found out, and she shipped mum out to Gaoling, where grandma’s parents lived.”

“How old was she?” asked Korra.

“About sixteen, I think. Well, a couple of months after she left town, the triads had a massive turf war.”

Korra nodded. “Yeah, the Downtown Massacre. It was so big, we even learnt about it in history class at the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Mum’s boyfriend and his dad were both killed. It shook her up. She ran away from her grandparents’ house and travelled the world – worked on a tramp steamer, joined the circus, and lived in a temple, where she met dad. She returned after about a year, to find a package waiting for her. When she opened it, she found one million Yuan[4]. She thinks her boyfriend knew something big was going happen, and arranged for someone to send her the package in case he died.

“The Beifong women have always been very practical. Whatever her feelings on where the money came from, mum decided to put it to good use. She invested most of it in some Si Wong Valley[5] startups. You may have heard of them: BanyanGrove[6], Wan Shi Tong[7], and Sun Warrior Security[8].”

“The big three,” said Asami, impressed.

“Yup. She got money from her grandparents to hire dad to start building Zaofu, worked as a dance choreographer to help support them, then the money from her investments started coming in.”

“Wow, that’s some life story,” said Korra.

“You should meet her. Come visit me this winter break,” said Opal.

“I think I will.”

 

[1]Something like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EP-PBC10-Gourmet-dExpert-Electric/dp/B003VNKJR2)

[2] [This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_pot) is the meal du jour.

[3]Kyoshi, the blogger, is named after her famed great-grandmother, the resistance leader whose efforts led to the overthrow of the dictator, General Chin.

[4]For reference, 1 Yuan = US$ 1

[5] Home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations.

[6]When Suyin first invested in them, they dealt primarily with software and hardware products for the vision-impaired. Later, they became the first and still most popular online social networking service.

[7]Originally a company specializing in software for libraries, they now own patents on several search engine algorithms. Has expanded to online advertising and cloud computing.

[8]Created the Dancing Dragon® line of firewall software, seen as the industry standard. Combustionbender®, their remote wipe app, was the program used to clear the data on the stolen Future Industries laptop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, Bolin pays a visit.


	8. Food Porn Day 4

**Thursday**

**Korrinator:** Hey Bo, you don’t have rehearsal today, right? Want to come over for dinner? Asami and Opal will be there, too.

 **BoboChacha:** Sure! See you tonight!

\-----

**Training**

“We let the clients know what choices they have, we suggest what we feel would be safe options for them, but ultimately, it’s their decision what they want to do. And we’re here to support them. This is the toughest part of the job: we support them even if the decision is one we don’t agree with.

“Remember at the beginning of training, when we said that, on average, a woman will leave her abuser seven times before she leaves for good? Well, it can get disheartening when the woman who comes into the shelter saying that she is _done_ with her abuser and is ready to start a new life moves back with him a week later because he says he’s changed. You can remind her of how he’s treated her in the past, all the reasons she gave for coming to the shelter, but if she decides to go back, all you can do is safety plan with her, and let her know she can come back to the shelter if she needs to.

“That’s what burns out a lot of us in this field, the feeling that maybe what we’re doing is futile. That’s why we brought in domestic violence survivors to speak to you. People who have successfully moved on. And they moved on by making the decision for themselves, not because someone told them they had to. We want to empower our clients by letting them know that they have choices, and we don’t take away their choices because we disagree with them. It’s difficult, but the shelter has helped many people leave their abuser that final time, and it took most people more than one try.”

\-----

**Korra’s flat**

Korra got the bowl containing the two cut-up arctic hens out of the fridge. They had been marinating in a mixture of yoghurt and spices for most of the day. She put the chicken pieces on a rack set atop a tray, then popped them in the oven.

“I know that looks like a lot of meat, but Bolin’s joining us tonight, and he can almost finish a whole arctic hen by himself. We’ve got the flatbread we picked up at Boiling Rock Bakery to go with it, as well as the lentil stew I’ve got going in the slow cooker. Opal, if you want to help, I’m going to fix a cucumber and yoghurt salad, too.”

“Can I do anything?” asked Asami.

“You can help brew up the chai. Toss a cinnamon stick, some cloves, a few cardamom pods and some star anise in that saucepan over there and fill it to about two-thirds full with water, then top it up with milk.”

Just then, someone knocked loudly on the door.

“Could you get that, Asami? It’s probably Bolin,” said Korra.

“Greetings one and all!” proclaimed Bolin as he entered the flat. He gave hugs all around, hoisting Asami and Opal off their feet. When he got to Korra, though, she beat him to it and picked him up off the ground and spun him in a circle before setting him back down.

“Wow, you’re strong,” said Asami.

“Korra was on the wrestling team in high school,” said Bolin. “That’s where we met.”

“You were a wrestler?” asked Opal, surprised.

“Uh, no,” said Bolin, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was a cheerleader[1].”

“I can totally see you doing that,” said Opal, “you’re always so upbeat and, well, cheerful.”

“That’s Bolin, all right,” said Korra. “We can fill you in a bit later on how we met. Right now, we need to finish getting stuff ready. Opal, let’s peel and dice the cucumbers. Asami, spices.”

“Um, I’m going to need some help locating those spices,” said Asami.

“Bo knows his way around my kitchen. Bo, we’re making chai. Help Asami find what she needs.”

Korra mixed the diced cucumbers in a bowl with yoghurt and some chopped mint leaves, then put it in the fridge. She waited until the water, spices and milk came to a boil, then let them simmer for a couple of minutes. She turned off the heat, put a bag of black tea in a mug, and filled it with the liquid. She added some bags of decaf tea to what remained in the saucepan.

“Chai’s ready,” said Korra after she had taken out the teabags. “This mug’s for you, Asami, since you’re a caffeine addict. I used decaf for the rest of us so we could sleep tonight. Sugar’s in that container. Food shouldn’t be much longer.”

“You didn’t have to make me separate cup of tea. That was sweet of you. Thanks, Korra,” said Asami with a warm smile.

“You’re welcome, it was no big deal,” said Korra. She started grinding some coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. “Opal, could you mince that shallot with the ginger and garlic, please?” As Opal set to her task, Korra heated a small skillet. When it was hot enough, she added some oil, then some cumin seeds. The shallot/ginger/onion combo followed, then the coriander, some chili powder and turmeric and finally some chopped tomatoes. When the mixture was done to her satisfaction, she poured it into the pot of simmering yellow lentils and stirred it in.

“Alright, let’s dig in!” said Korra.

“So, how did you and Bolin meet?” asked Asami, dipping a piece of bread her bowl of lentil stew.

“Well, in the school we went to, most of the students had a somewhat narrow concept of gender roles,” said Bolin.

“And a lot of them were also homophobes,” piped up Korra.

“Yes, that, too,” said Bolin. “Anyway, to a good number of the male students, being a male cheerleader equated to being a fag, and, to them, that was a bad thing. And I was the only male cheerleader in the entire school.”

“One day, I was having lunch in the cafeteria, and I see this guy start screaming and waving his arms wildly at Bo. Something about how he was going to beat up Bo because he didn’t like having a fucking queer staring at his ass.”

“I tried to explain that he had a piece of toffee stuck to his butt. He wouldn’t listen, though, and started to move in on me, so I chokeslammed him into the wall.”

“Then the guy’s buddy tried to sneak up on Bolin from behind, and I ran up and took him down and pinned him. The teachers showed up about five seconds later, and we all got detention. Bo and I bonded over detention and became best friends.”

“I’m pretty sure Korra saved my life. The guy she took down was a lot bigger than me, and he was known for being a mean dude.”

“He was bigger than you, and Korra took him down?” asked Opal, looking a little sceptical.

“You should have seen Korra back then, she was ripped.”

“Hey! I still have muscles. They’re just a little better insulated these days.” She sighed. “All that schoolwork makes it hard to stay in shape. Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, I like food.”

“I’m glad you decided to share all this food with us, Korra. Thank you. I usually don’t eat this well when school is in session,” said Asami.

“My pleasure, and like I said, you guys are doing me a favour. I never could have got through all this food by myself before it went bad.”

“If you want to work some of it off, you’re welcome to join me and Opal at the gym this Saturday,” said Asami.

“I can’t, I’ve got something on. Maybe some other time. Now that the DV training is almost over, I’ll have most of my weekday evenings free.”

“How’s the training been?” asked Bolin.

“Eye-opening. A lot of what we learnt was new to me, even after what we went through with Eska.”

“Who’s Eska?” asked Opal.

“Um, actually, I should have asked Bo before bringing her up. Sorry, Bo.”

“No, no, it’s okay, we can talk about her. Long story short, Eska is Korra’s cousin, and my ex-girlfriend. She was abusive, I got out of the relationship, the shelter helped me with the fallout, and I think you three are amazing for volunteering there.”

“We haven’t started yet, though. We finish the classroom training this week, then we have to do two shifts with a staff member or experienced volunteer. After that, we can sign up to do a regular shift on our own,” said Korra.

“Well today’s session was kind of a downer because we talked about how people frequently go back to their abusers, so it helps that we personally know someone who got out and stayed out of an abusive relationship. It really puts things in context. Thanks for sharing, Bolin,” said Opal.

“Anytime,” said Bolin, blushing slightly.

“So Korra said you’ve been busy with rehearsals,” said Asami, “what production are you in?”

“I’m studying theatre, and we’re putting on the musical ‘Kyoshi’s Warriors’. I have a small part as a villager, and I also play one of the warriors in the big fight at the end. I’ll be in drag for that second role. Will you and Asami come watch it?”

“I’m going to the Sunday matinée,” said Korra, “but I got the last ticket.”

“You could go to the Friday or Saturday evening performance, those haven’t sold out,” said Bolin.

“Sounds like fun,” said Opal. “What do you say, Asami, Saturday evening?”

“Sounds good. I’ll book us tickets tonight.”

 

[1] [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqXJPH2TPp0) is what male cheerleaders do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, meant to get this up earlier, but I was busy hanging out with friends and family, eating good food, and enjoying fireworks. Hope everyone who celebrated had a safe and happy Fourth of July.
> 
> I got the “Korrinator” nickname from "Texts from Korra".


	9. Food Porn Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Attempted suicide.

**Friday**

**The Jasmine Dragon**

“Another new drink, Iroh?” asked Korra.

“Yes, I call this one a ‘Republic City Fog’. It’s made with lavender scented green tea, vanilla extract, sugar, and foamed coconut milk.”

“I’m not gonna lie, that sounds a little weird. Also, there’s no chocolate involved. I’m not sure if I’ll like it, but I’ll give it a try”

Iroh put a cup of his concoction in front of her, and Korra took a tentative sip. It tasted good, the green tea provided a subtle base note, and the vanilla and lavender complemented each other well. She blew on it, then took a larger mouthful. This time, she could feel the rich, frothy creaminess of the coconut milk enhancing the other flavours.

“I shouldn’t have doubted you. This tastes amazing.”

Just then the door to the teashop opened, and a tall tattooed figure walked in.

“Aang! Come meet a friend of mine. This is Korra, she helped with the controlled burn that one time. Korra, meet Aang.”

They shook hands.

“Good to see you again. I saw your granddaughter, Jinora, when I got some tomatoes and kale from the Farmer’s Market. Those heirloom tomatoes were something else. I can’t go back to the regular ones now.”

“Jinora mentioned you, she said you had a lot of questions about how we farm.”

“Yeah, one of my big interests is learning how people live in balance with nature. Seems like you have a good gig going. Do you think I could come tour your farm sometime?”

“We could probably arrange something,” said Aang, looking thoughtful. “You know, we’re a little short-handed at the moment. Would you want to help out on the farm? We could pay you in meals and produce. Organic, non-GMO vegetables. We’ve got eggs and milk, too if you could use those.”

“That sounds great! I could do with some manual labour. Thanks to school, I think I’m in the worst shape of my life right now.”

Aang gave her a smile. “When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.”

\-----

**Training**

“Relationship violence in the LGBTQ community is even more underreported than it is for heterosexuals. Abusive partners in LGBTQ relationships use the same power and control tactics as abusive partners in heterosexual relationships – physical, sexual or emotional abuse, financial control, isolation, etc. However, they could also threaten to “out” their partner’s sexual orientation or gender identity, or claim that no one will want to help them because they are queer.[1]

\-----

**Korra’s flat**

“We’re eating up on the roof today,” said Korra, as she tied her hair back in a short ponytail. “There’s a grill up there, but I need your help hauling this stuff up.”

It took them more than one trip. There were plates of marinated meat threaded onto skewers[2], covered in plastic wrap, cucumbers, red onions, and ears of corn. They set the raw food on the table by the grill, and the cutlery, plates, drinks and condiments on another table that had some chairs around it. Korra also brought along a fire extinguisher, a bag of charcoal, a metal rod with cloth wrapped around one end, a wet towel, and a double boiler with some cooking oil in it.

Korra set a cylinder made of wire mesh on top of the grill’s rack grate, and put a layer of wadded-up newspaper in it, followed by some charcoal, another layer of newspaper, and more charcoal. She poured the cooking oil from the double boiler into a mug, then handed the fire extinguisher to Asami.

“Read the instructions, and make sure you have it pointed the right way if anything happens. Alright, looks like I’m in luck, there’s no breeze to speak of. I’ll need you two to stand back, line of fire is going to be in this direction,” she indicated with her arms.

Korra lit the torch and held it out at arm’s length, breathed in, took a mouthful of the liquid in the mug, then blew it out in a fine spray at the torch, launching a stream of fire at the little tower of newspaper and charcoal on the grill. The newspaper ignited quickly. When it burnt out, the charcoal was smoking. Korra took another mouthful of the oil and sprayed it onto the charcoal, then backed away as it flared up. Flames started to lick through the charcoal. Korra put the torch out in the wet towel, then grabbed a pair of tongs and carefully removed the wire mesh cylinder.

“What did you think?” she asked, grinning widely at Opal and Asami’s slack-jawed expressions.

“That – that was amazing,” said Asami. “What was that stuff you blew into the flame?”

“Warmed vegetable oil. It doesn’t work as well at room temperature.”

“Where’d you learn how to do it?” asked Opal.

“From a guy named Iroh, he runs the Jasmine Dragon teashop. He said that back when he was doing fire-breathing gigs, they called him the Dragon of the West. He said I should call myself the Dragon of the South. It actually suits me better than he thinks.”

“How’s that?” asked Asami.

“You know, dragons breathe fire and…..eat fair maidens,” said Korra, waggling her eyebrows. “Of course, I’ve got a boyfriend right now, so the ladies will just have to pine away and admire my excellence from a distance.” She sighed dramatically, tilting her head back and putting the back of one hand to her forehead.

Opal made gagging noises. Asami gave Korra an appraising, _I’m going to take you down a notch_ look.

“What’s the matter,” said Asami, walking up to Korra so their bodies were almost touching and looking down at her with sultry eyes, “boyfriend won’t share?”

“Uh, no? I - I mean that’s not something we’ve talked about, so I g – guess I don’t know? Well, maybe if it’s with a girl…..actually, n - no, no, p - probably not,” Korra stammered, blushing furiously as she looked at Asami.

Asami leaned in so her lips were right by Korra’s ear. “That’s a shame,” she whispered.

Korra stumbled back, fortunately away from the grill, her face combusting to an even brighter shade of red. Asami kept moving forward until Korra’s back bumped up against the railing, then she trapped Korra there by grabbing the top rail on either side of her. Korra’s mouth went dry as Asami brought her face close.

“Is this making you uncomfortable, Korra?” asked Asami seductively.

Korra nodded dumbly. The smell of Asami’s perfume, a combination of jasmine, sandalwood and citrus, was making her feel weak in the knees.

“Good,” said Asami in her normal voice. She smiled evilly. “Consider it payback for that stunt you pulled with the mushrooms.”

Korra started sputtering indignantly. Opal doubled over with laughter. “You gotta expect retribution if you prank Asami, Korra. That woman can hold a grudge. Come on, let’s start cooking, I’m getting hungry.”

Korra, her face still beet-red, got the cooking grate on the grill, and they put the ears of corn (husks on, silk removed) on one half of the grill, and the skewers of meat on the other.

“The meat will be done in about ten minutes, the corn will take a little longer. Asami, I made some cold-brew coffee for you,” Korra gestured vaguely at the table. “Opal and I are sticking with water.”

Asami put one hand on Korra’s shoulder and caught her eye (not an easy thing to do at the moment, since Korra appeared to want to look at anything but Asami). “Hey, you know I was teasing earlier, right? You’re my friend, and I don’t have too many of those, so I wouldn’t want to make things awkward between us by putting the moves on you. Unless it’s for revenge pranking.” Korra snorted and tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “Or if you want me to.” Asami winked.

“In your dreams,” said Korra, not very convincingly, as her ears changed colour to match the rest of her face. “Um, excuse me while I flip the skewers.”

When the first batch of skewered meat was ready, Korra plated it, put more meat on the grill, and rotated the ears of corn.

“Let’s get started on this while it’s warm, the second batch of meat will be ready at about the same time as the corn.”

They were mostly though the first helping when Korra got up to pull the rest of the food off the grill.

“I’ve got regular butter, plus a garlic butter with cumin and chili powder for the corn.”

“Mmm…..the garlic butter tastes good on the corn,” said Opal.

“Yup, much better than plain butter,” said Asami.

“Yeah, I thought I’d kick it up a bit. Corn’s so bland, otherwise. I’d apologise for making you reek of garlic, but you’re adults and you made your choice. I’m lucky I’ve got a boyfriend who likes the smell of the stuff. And I know Bolin likes it, too,” said Korra playfully as she looked over at Opal.

“We’re not exactly dating yet,” said Opal.

“Well, I know you’ve been feeling each other out. Pun completely intended.” This earned Korra a kick in the shin. “Ow! I’m going to stop inviting the two of you over if you guys keep hitting me. What about you, Asami, anyone special in your life?”

“No. Not really doing the relationship thing at the moment.”

“Oh. Did you have a tough breakup? Not that I want to pry or anything, feel free to change the subject.”

Asami exchanged glances with Opal. “You could say it was a traumatic breakup. It was a guy I was dating when I was an undergrad. Just to give you a little background, we got together after he cheated on his previous girlfriend with me, then dumped her. He’d seen other girls behind her back, too, so I didn’t feel particularly guilty about it, I figured it was only a matter of time before they broke up.

“I wasn’t really serious about the relationship. I mean, I liked him, and we had fun together, but he wasn’t really someone I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. He did have lovely hair, though.”

“Spirits, I heard about his hair from Bataar,” said Opal. “He thought the guy used more hair product than Asami.”

“Anyway,” continued Asami, “one weekend, when Tahno was visiting his parents, I went to a party, met a cute girl, made out with her, and then went back to her place to spend the night. One of his friends was at the party, and they sent him a picture of me kissing her with my hand up her shirt, and told him we’d left together.

“Now, I’d assumed that since he’d played the field while he was with his previous girlfriend, that that was how things were going to be with us, which I was fine with. Surprisingly, it turned out that he was serious enough about our relationship that he’d actually taken the trouble to be exclusive with me, even though we’d never really discussed it. What I also didn’t expect though, was that although he’d had no qualms cheating on his ex, having someone, from his point of view, cheat on him, was something he was totally not okay with. It was just something he couldn’t fathom happening to himself, and he couldn’t handle it.

“I had my phone off that night, so he when he couldn’t reach me, called the flat on the land line.” She looked at Opal.

“I was visiting Baatar at the time,” said Opal. “We had dinner, did a video chat with mum, and then he went to the lab to do some work on a school project. When the phone rang, I thought it was him, but it wasn’t, it was Tahno.

“He was pretty out of it. He thought I was Asami, and he was babbling on about how his trust was betrayed, and saying that life wasn’t worth living.” She paused. “Then he said something about taking more pills and getting a knife.

“I ran and got my phone and called Baatar, told him Asami’s boyfriend was trying to kill himself. Luckily, one of the guys working on the project with him knew Tahno, and knew where his parents lived. They called the hospital and got an ambulance over there. His parents were out, and his grandmother was asleep, so they had to break down the door. He was barely conscious, when they found him, and he had a knife in his hand, but he’d only scratched himself with it.”

“They got him to the hospital in time, but it was close,” said Asami. They found quite the mix when they pumped his stomach, he’d taken all of his grandmother’s prescription meds, plus all the painkillers he could find in the house.

“When I woke up the next morning, I checked my phone and found a bunch of angry and increasingly unintelligible texts from Tahno. Then I checked my voicemail, listened to a couple of messages where he was yelling incoherently, then got the message from Opal about him being in the hospital. That poor girl I was with, she must have thought I’d had an awful time with her, because I gave some lame-ass excuse about why I had to leave in a hurry. I didn’t want to freak her out with the truth.

“His parents were in the room with him when I got there. His dad wasn’t happy to see me, called me a slut and a bunch of other names, and almost got thrown out by security. His mother didn’t say much, but if looks could kill, I wouldn’t be here right now.

“He asked his parents to leave the room so he could speak to me alone. When they’d left, he told me that he still loved me, that he forgave me for what I’d done, and that he still wanted us to be together. When he finished talking, I broke up with him, and left.”

“You – you what?” asked Korra in disbelief. “You dumped him right after he tried to kill himself?”

“I figured it was the best time to do it. They had him strapped down so he couldn’t hurt himself, he was in a _hospital_ , his parents were there, and they were going to bring in a counsellor to talk to him. It would have been more dangerous for him if I’d done it after he was discharged.”

Korra stared in slack-jawed silence, trying to process what Asami had just said.

“Wow. That’s quite the story,” she said, still trying to wrap her head around how Asami had handled the breakup. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. C _old-hearted bitch_ was battling it out with _sexy_ _lateral-thinker_. “So that’s why you’re not ‘doing the relationship thing’?”

“Well, after that,” said Asami, “I made it clear to anyone I dated that monogamy was not my thing. I’m honest and up front about it, and I’m fine with them seeing other people as long as they’re safe about it. However, it seemed to be a deal-breaker with the people I was interested in getting serious with. Not that there were many of those.

“The last relationship I was in, she said that she was okay with us seeing other people, but then got insanely jealous when I told her I’d hooked up with one of my classmates. It got to the point where she was practically stalking me, so I ended things, which caused some drama. That’s when I decided to take a break.”

“Don’t blame you,” said Korra. “Maybe you’ll find the right person someday. Love works in mysterious ways, right? Oh hey, there’s a bug on your arm.”

Asami jumped up, knocking her chair down. “Get it off me!” she said frantically.

“Relax, it’s just a beetle,” said Korra as she gently plucked the insect off Asami’s arm and released it.

“Miss Badass Engineer is terrified of bugs,” said Opal. “One time, she found a spider in the bathroom and shrieked so loudly that our neighbour came by to see if everything was okay.”

Korra grinned. She thought about making a quip at Asami’s expense, but the poor girl looked so embarrassed right now, she just didn’t have the heart. _Ammunition for next time_.

“I’m going to make sure the fire in the grill is out,” said Korra. “Asami, why don’t you head down to the flat and start on the dishes? Opal and I can lug the rest of the stuff down.”

Asami gathered up the dishes and headed downstairs, hurrying a little as she saw more insects flying around. _The bugs are coming out, she wanted to get me indoors before they’re out in force._

 

[1]Sourced from <http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/lgbt-abuse/>

[2] [This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satay) is what they’re having today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Real life interfered. Also, I shouldn’t read other peoples’ fics when trying to write. Some of it is so good, it makes me feel like whatever I’ve just written is trite and unoriginal, and I feel compelled to go back and do a massive rewrite. On top of everything, my hands hate me. There was new uppercut bag at the gym, and I was so excited that I whaled on it much harder than I should have after a one month hiatus. I didn’t have gloves on, so my knuckles are nicely bruised. 
> 
> This is the end of the food porn arc, they’ll finally be doing stuff at the shelter in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and, as always, comments are much appreciated.
> 
> Edit: I totally put in all the gratuitous firebreathing stuff just so I could have Korra say that line.

**Author's Note:**

> Started this as a side project to give me a break from my other fic, which is giving me fits. I don't have a beta for this, so please feel free to point out any mistakes or inconsistencies. Suggestions are also welcome. This is a work of fiction, and none of the OCs are based on anyone in real life.
> 
> I hope the bit about the training session doesn't come across as too choppy. Again, if you want to recommend any changes to the writing, have at it. Writing's new to me, so I can use all the help I can get.


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